Cowboys Gameday: Week 4

Cowboys at 49ers

A week beset by the loss of Dez Bryant and the Mystery of the MRI mercifully fades into the background as the Cowboys improve to 3-1 despite no Tony Romo and no Bryant.

A loss would mean ...

The injuries have taken their toll, the momentum of the last two weeks is gone and 49ers coach Chip Kelly, formerly of the NFC East Philadelphia Eagles, bests the Cowboys with his new team.

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SportsDay’s Picks

Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant may miss this week’s game with a hairline fracture in his right tibia after getting his foot caught under Bears linebacker Christian Jones during Dallas’ victory over Chicago. (Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer)

Brandon George:

The Cowboys believe they’re better equipped to handle injuries this season. We’re about to find out. Quarterback Tony Romo is still weeks away from returning. Now Pro Bowl receiver Dez Bryant isn’t expected to play Sunday at the 49ers. The last time the Cowboys won a game without both Romo and Bryant was Jan. 2, 2011, the regular-season finale at Philadelphia. Running back Ezekiel Elliott was already getting a lot of attention. Expect more now with Bryant not there to demand double-teams. San Francisco will do enough to stymie the Cowboys’ rushing attack to keep this game low-scoring and winnable for the home team. 49ers, 23-17

Kate Hairopoulos: Kiddos Dak Prescott and Zeke Elliott are going to be OK, even with the loss of receiver Dez Bryant this week. The offense will retain enough power against a San Francisco defense that has given up 947 total yards and 83 points the last two weeks. Just beware of the turnover; the 49ers have cashed in on all eight of their takeaways this season. Cowboys, 27-21

Jon Machota: The 49ers were interested in drafting a quarterback this year. San Francisco coach Chip Kelly met with several QBs leading up to the draft. Dak Prescott was not one of them. Kelly said he has known Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen for 25 years, so he didn’t think it was necessary. Kelly had a good feel for Prescott, who was picked about where the 49ers had him graded. On Sunday, the rookie QB will show Kelly why San Francisco never should have let him slip to the fourth round. Prescott extends his streak to four games without an interception. Cowboys 24-21

David Moore: Two things are certain about this matchup: San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick will kneel during the national anthem; Dallas tight end Jason Witten won’t. Once the anthem is done, the focus will shift to what takes place on the field. The Cowboys have been the more impressive team to this point, but the 49ers have had a more difficult schedule. Carolina and Seattle, the two teams San Francisco has lost to (allowing 83 points in the process), are better than any of the teams the Cowboys have faced. No Tony Romo and no Dez Bryant usually means no way the Cowboys win. But this team has a different vibe about it entering this game. Cowboys, 34-24

Tim Cowlishaw: Cowboys take a knee in this one while missing too many starters on offense and struggling to find their rhythm. 49ers, 15-10

Rick Gosselin: The team that runs the ball and plays better defense will win. With Carlos Hyde and this defense, my guess is it’s the 49ers. 49ers, 31-27

Barry Horn: 49ers are simply not very good. Cowboys could be 3-1 without their starting quarterback. Can you stand it? Cowboys, 21-20

Kevin Sherrington: Once again, Dak is best QB on the field, but after this it gets a little tougher. Cowboys, 24-17

You make the call

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Bob Sturm’s scouting report

SituationEdgeIn the know

When the Cowboys run the ball

Edge

The 49ers are not what they once were on defense, but with the two massive Oregon Ducks up front in Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner, they are well equipped with those linebackers to deal with a stout running game. The Cowboys feel they are rolling on the ground with Ezekiel Elliott, but this is a much stiffer test than dealing with the banged-up Bears. The issues with Tyron Smith’s back make this a far more difficult task.

When the Cowboys pass the ball

Edge

Without Dez Bryant, the Cowboys will have plenty of doubters. They will need to demonstrate they can have some teeth through the air beyond the short and intermediate routes to loosen up a decent defense that’s coming off a shutout victory in its last home game. As far as Dak Prescott using his feet to loosen up the aerial attack, keep in mind that the 49ers just prepared for Cam Newton and Russell Wilson in consecutive weeks.

When the 49ers run the ball

Edge

San Francisco features that Chip Kelly tempo with zone running and an impressive running back prospect in Carlos Hyde. Hyde is off to only a decent start, but in fairness, the offensive line that Frank Gore enjoyed for years has been torn apart and not properly rebuilt. The Cowboys’ work on the ground has been mixed. Teams haven’t pounded the ball much, but when they have, the Cowboys have allowed a very poor 5 yards per carry.

When the 49ers pass the ball

Edge

Blaine Gabbert is not a very good QB. He is backed up by Colin Kaepernick and Christian Ponder, who are also not very good. The 49ers’ receiving group is among the most toothless in the NFL. Given that San Francisco is by far the NFL’s worst in yards per attempt (5.5), I would assume the Cowboys can stay on guard for play-action shots to Torrey Smith; otherwise, they should be able to focus on stopping the run.

Special teams

Edge

Neither team is particularly impressive in the return game, but both have very good kickers. Dan Bailey requires no introduction but is coming off the rare missed FG try. Phil Dawson has been around so long, he kicked for John Mackovic at Texas. Both teams have solid punters, but Bradley Pinion has punted more times than the 21 punts in three weeks for San Francisco.

Intangibles

Edge

This is a really good test for the Cowboys. There is nothing easy about winning on the road, especially with a rookie QB without his best offensive weapon. San Francisco seems close to trying Kaepernick in relief to see if he can jump-start a rather impotent offense. We must assume the Cowboys have prepared for that possibility.

Bob Sturm’s spotlight

In the 2010 NFL draft, there were two inside linebackers from Penn State who were highly coveted. The Cowboys were the first team to grab one of them when they traded up to get Sean Lee at pick No. 55. The 49ers were then able to take the other, NaVorro Bowman, at pick No. 91 in the third round. As great as Lee has been, it would be difficult to argue that Bowman, with four years as a first-team All-Pro hasn’t had the better career.

Bowman flies all over the field. After a gruesome injury in the 2013 NFC Championship Game, when he tore his ACL and MCL knee ligaments in Seattle, Bowman missed all of 2014 and then returned to lead the NFL in tackles in 2015.

Under Jim Harbaugh, Bowman, 28, was part of what was one of the most dominant defenses in recent years. With most of that group gone, he is one of the few proven defensive veterans surrounded by some very talented and young draft picks.

Bowman is a force to be reckoned with who can carry receivers down the field, come on a blitz or just help shut down a run game all afternoon. There is no question that Lee and Bowman help carry on the tradition of “Linebacker U.”

Sturm’s prediction: The Cowboys have won two straight, and with the Bengals and Packers waiting before the bye week, there is no question they need to get this win in the bag. That said, this is the type of game that causes problems. This game will be decided late. Cowboys, 24-20